Fans in Italy have been singing Kaka’s praises ever since he arrived on the peninsula from Sao Paulo nearly four years ago, yet until recently he didn’t seem as appreciated elsewhere. He is not the first player to suffer such problems, with Francesco Totti still largely undervalued abroad despite his World Cup winners’ medal.
But unlike Totti, the Brazilian seems to have set the record straight in the last 12 months. Going into the 2006 World Cup, Kaka was regarded by the uninformed as little more than the talented apprentice of Selecao magician Ronaldinho. Of course, we all know how that ended.
In England everyone was hailing Cristiano Ronaldo as the world’s best, but the way the Portuguese winger was overshadowed by Kaka in the Champions League semi-final between Milan and Manchester United means the crown is well and truly within the Brazilian’s reach – and what better time to grab hold of it than in the biggest club match on the football calendar?
The Champions League Final in Athens will be the perfect stage for Ricky to banish his doubters and prove himself worthy of the comparisons to past masters such as Zico and Leonardo. In fact, rather fittingly, it was the latter of those two Selecao legends who spotted Kaka’s potential while on one of his frequent scouting missions for the Rossoneri.
Of course, ‘Samba Boy’ – as the British Press christened him after his demolition job on the Man Utd defence – is no stranger to the European scene. His performance in the 2005 Champions League Final, especially in the first half, was awe-inspiring. Milan may have ended the game in disappointment after letting a 3-0 lead slip through their fingers, but Kaka had shown why he was deemed indispensable by the Rossoneri while they were willing to sell Andriy Shevchenko.
The combination of pace, vision and technique, not to mention his strength on the ball despite his deceptively boyish looks, left Liverpool with no answer. The Reds’ defence was left in tatters when he threatened to put them on the back foot with another devastating run, before pausing and sliding a 30-yard through-ball into Hernan Crespo’s path for the Argentine striker to slot past ‘keeper Jerzy Dudek.
That was a lesson Liverpool are unlikely to have forgotten, but it remains to be seen if they have come up with a solution in the two years since. If they have then they would be the first to do so, especially in the Champions League where Kaka has run riot this season.
From his advanced midfield role he has hit the back of the net 10 times, more than any striker has managed, and you wouldn’t bet against him bagging one or two more in Athens. “If I win the Champions League I can become one of the leading candidates for the Golden Ball and I can write my name in Milan’s history,” he explained.
If he does, his place in the history books will be no less than he deserves and the football fraternity can cheer a new King to his throne as the world’s best – and not before time either. |
